How Long Was I Lost?
by DisloyalWaterBuffalo
Summary: When Tanu finds a mysterious girl passed out outside Fablehaven gates, he takes her in, only to find out she has a strange connection to Vanessa and an even stranger gift. How will this girl affect everyone at Fablehaven's lives forever?
1. A Strange Arrival

How Long Was I Lost?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven

**AN: Hey guys! So, this is my very first fanfiction, and I really hope you all like it! Lets begin...**

A large Samoan man drove down the street in a black SUV, on his way back to the magical preserve he was currently staying at. He was headed back to Fablehaven after visiting relatives and gathering ingredients for potions he was going to leave in the care of the Sorenson's. As he pulled in the gates he saw a slumped figure, hooded from the fast-falling snow, snuggled against the fence. The shape looked like that of a child, harmless and vulnerable. He stopped the car and got out and to investigate the figure. It was a girl, young and petite, seemingly unconscious. She was soaking wet, her hair was ratted, and though it was freezing cold outside, the only thing the girl had on under her thick hoodie was a white camisole, which Tanu noticed after he had scooped her off the ground. No wonder she was shaking. She snuggled up to his chest as he held her, desperate for warmth. He grabbed the backpack she had with her off the ground and laid her in the backseat of the car. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and tried to contact the Sorenson's inside the house. It rang for a few seconds before Grandma Sorenson's voice called over. "Yes?"

"Ruth, I need you to add a name to the register. I found a little girl outside against the fence. I think we should take her in."

"All right, Dear. Describe her to me," Ruth said.

"Okay, she has dark brown hair, but I can't see her eyes, so I'm not sure about color. She's wearing a white camisole under a white and green hoodie. She's also got on blue skinny jeans and gray boots."

"Alright. She should be good to go. Come on in." The phone clicked and went silent.  
Tanu got back in the car and drove down the drive, glancing at the mysterious figure in the backseat whenever she moved.

Dale and Grandpa Sorenson were there to greet Tanu at the door. They were wearing thick winter clothes and puzzled expressions as they gazed upon the odd contrast of the hulking man holding the fragile little girl, carefully in his arms. Dale, after a short while, stopped staring and went out to the SUV to get the rest of Tanu's bags. Stan began asking Tanu questions.

"Where did you find her?" he asked as he touched the figure's tiny hand. It was so cold it almost burned.

"Against the fence outside the gate," Tanu replied. "She didn't seem to want to get inside. Just..." he stopped. "Just to get near something warm, maybe. The magic protecting the fence and gate gives off faint heat."

"Yes, and we would have been notified if there was a breach in the gate, which is nearly impossible," Stan replied sullenly. "But, I can't help wondering, why wouldn't the distractor spell work on her?"

"I'm not sure, but we need to get her inside and near the fire before she turns to ice."

They went inside where the rest of the family was waiting. Kendra and Seth were on the couch, Seth trying to wrestle the book Kendra was reading away from her. Warren and Vanessa, the alleged couple, were sitting in matching chairs by the window. Ruth was walking down the stairs, apparently just finishing up with the register. Everyone turned to the door and smiled, but those smiles soon faded when they saw the body that Tanu was carrying. As soon as she had gotten a clear look at the child, Vanessa was up in an instant and had shot towards Tanu, tears welling in her eyes.

"Lore! Oh my God, Loralie!" she started to sob. Warren jumped up and was at Vanessa's side in no time at all. He tried holding her by the shoulders, calming her down but she wouldn't have it. She held out her hands to Tanu, insinuating that he should give the girl to her.

At that point the girl's eyelids began to flutter. She could hear voices, but they were underwater. She squirmed a little but soon gave up, so she opened her eyes and saw Vanessa. She screamed and almost rolled out of Tanu's arms. She struggled at first but he righted her, and stood her up carefully. Her teeth were chattering and she could hear her heartbeat pounding in her head. She almost fell over, she was so dizzy, but Tanu caught her and helped her back to her feet.

"Van! I thought you were dead! You never came back, and you never wrote. I was... Worried." Loralie said, choking back sobs. It was her turn to cry. She flung her arms around Vanessa's neck, leaving the rest of the occupants of the room utterly speechless.

Vanessa held her tight and led her to the fireplace. "I wanted to write. Really, I did. But, I promised everyone," she gestured around the room," that I wouldn't control anyone any more. I screwed things up big-time a long while back, and I knew they would never trust me again if I started controlling, and I didn't want that to happen. I care about these people, like I care about you. Vanessa talked to this girl like they were old pals, sisters even.

"I guess I should have known you'd go and get yourself in trouble," Loralie smiled half-heartedly, "So where am I?"

Everyone looked at each other skeptically. What harm could this little girl do? "You're at Fablehaven," came the answer from Grandpa Sorenson. At that word, Loralie eyes went wide.

"So Chrissy's here!" She yelled excitedly. She was almost bouncing up and down she was so happy. "It's been so long since I've seen him, I thought he was dead, too!"

Vanessa wrung her hands and shuffled a little. Vanessa had never acted like this before. Vanessa Santoro was always so calm and suave. "No, Lore, he's not here anymore," Vanessa said. Loralie looked so heartbroken everyone began to wonder if she would just shrivel away.

"W-where did he go then?" She asked her voice shaking and cracking. Everyone could see that she was trying not to cry again. She already seemed embarrassed that she had cried before. "Why would he leave if you stayed?" Tears began streaming from her eyes. Vanessa began to get teary, also.

"He didn't leave by choice," Vanessa said slowly. Loralie made a sound, somewhere between a gasp and a squeak. Apparently she knew just what Vanessa was going to say. She sobbed. "Chris... Is dead," Vanessa said slowly.

She hugged Loralie tight and started humming softly. When she had calmed down, Loralie pushed away from Vanessa. "I've got to get outta' here," she said and started to rise.

"No!" Vanessa looked frantically at Loralie. "You're staying here, if Stan and Ruth are alright with that?"

"That's just fine Dear," said Ruth, "We wouldn't want to take you in here just to send you back out in the cold," she said looking at a dripping Loralie. At this, Seth looked at Kendra. The two of them were so engulfed in the current situation; they hadn't let go of the book. Seth gave Kendra a pleading look. _I'll talk to them about it_, Kendra mouthed silently.

"Well, has anyone asked _me _if _I'm_ okay with this? Because I'm not," Loralie huffed, "I'm sorry if I sound ungrateful and all, but I'm really uncomfortable with this whole situation..." she trailed off.

"It doesn't matter if you want to or not you're staying. I lost you once, I'm not losing you again," Vanessa said sternly. Loralie sat down again, defeated.

For the first time she looked around the room and observed the bewildered faces. There were so many. How could she stay here when there were so many people? "Fine" she said at last. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

Warren broke the silence from the other side of the room, "So, what's all this about? I mean you two clearly know each other. " Both Vanessa and Loralie opened their mouths to say something, but were cut off by Mrs. Sorenson suggesting they all have dinner before any explanations were given. Loralie kindly declined any and all offers of food. She thanked everyone for letting her stay and told them all that she would wait where she was while they ate. Stan, at Vanessa's request, told Hugo and Mendigo to guard the doors in case Loralie tried to leave. Maybe if she weren't so tired she would have tried to escape.

"I could take on two guys if I wanted, that is, if they even caught me," she said under her breath, when everyone else had left the room. They had failed to mention that Hugo was a golem.

Holding true to her word, Loralie had stayed where she was in front of the fire, but had fallen asleep. Had she been awake she would have heard the voices coming from the kitchen. Vanessa's had been trying, and failing, to explain who Loralie was, and everyone else's asking the questions. When they had finished dinner, the troop moved back into the living room, where they found the mysterious girl asleep on the floor. "I have an idea," Warren said as he went back to the kitchen the grab a cold water bottle from the fridge,

"This is how Dale used to wake me up for school when we were younger." He moved her hair and placed the cold bottle against the back of Loralie's neck. She shot up and spun her leg around, swiftly knocking Warren off his feet.

"Whoa, sorry," said Loralie, "I'm kind of edgy right now. My bad," she apologized as she helped Warren back to his feet. Over on one of the couches, Seth and Vanessa were stifling laughter.

"A little warning would've been nice," Warren huffed, brushing himself off.

"I could say the same to you." Loralie smiled a real smile for the first time since she'd been there. Warren went to sit down, and Loralie began to tell her story.

"I guess I'll start from the beginning." Loralie looked around the room, at each individual person, and then began. "When I was around four years old the Society of the Evening Star tricked me into leaving home to work with them. There, they started teaching me all sorts of martial arts and gymnastics, combat training, and survival. So, technically I have ten years worth of training. And, when they found out I had a gift they started training me to use it, even though they don't even know what it is. Heck, I don't even know what it is."  
"Gift?" It was Kendra who piped up after staying quiet through the whole story.  
"Yeah, I can-" Loralie paused, looked up, and her eyes met Seth's. She quickly averted them. "I can transfer my memories to other people."

**Ooo… What does this mean for the Fablehaven gang? Who is this mysterious girl who has such close ties to Vanessa, and what secret is she harboring? If people like this, I'll definitely keep going. I'll probably keep going anyway, but reviews would be helpful! **


	2. Sarcastic Memories

**AN: Oh. My. GOODNESS! Ugh, I have no idea why this chapter took me so long to write. I'm lying. It was the holidays. I hope you all had a nice one. Let us proceed:**

"Lore, wait!" Vanessa shouted.

"Wha-at?" Loralie complained.

"Yes, Vanessa, why shouldn't she tell us about her special gift, hm?" Grandma Sorenson asked with just a hint of spite. Ruth didn't really trust Vanessa; even after all she had been through and done for the family. She wasn't very keen on her relationship with Warren either.

"Well, what I meant was," Vanessa looked a bit like a deer caught in the headlights, "That maybe she shouldn't be telling her biggest secret to people she just met."

"Van, I think you're just digging yourself deeper. If you can trust them," Loralie nodded sullenly, "Than I can trust them."

Vanessa kept her mouth shut. "Yeah, so... Memories. I can do that..." Loralie trailed. The inhabitants of the room looked stunned, or amused at the very least.

"Can you show me?" Seth blurted.

"I-," Loralie was cut off by a hard stare from Vanessa.

"If you _mu_st use your gift _right _now, I suggest you show _me_. I don't want you using it on other people until I'm positive you have full control of it still," Vanessa smiled. "Besides, I'm kind of curious to see how you escaped. Last I heard you were being kept in Canada."

"You make it sound like I'm some sort of animal that has to be kept in a cage or something," Loralie smiled back and went to sit down, cross-legged in front of the fireplace. "Let's go," she nodded to Vanessa, who sat in the same style, directly across from her. Loralie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and put her hands out in front of her. Her palms were facing Vanessa and her fingers were pointed up. She spread them as Vanessa placed her hands against Loralie's. Vanessa's hands, though average sized for a woman her age, dwarfed Loralie's. Wow she really is petite, thought Tanu. He imagined what her hands would look like compared to his. The thought made him smile.

Vanessa now closed her eyes and Loralie laced her fingers through Vanessa's. Vanessa's fingers were left pointed toward the ceiling. The inhabitants of the room were left in awe as they watched the silent connection take place. Vanessa was getting a first-person look through Loralie's memories.

She was in a room, one she didn't recognize. It was well furnished with thick blankets and overstuffed pillows on the bed and chairs. Thick mauve drapes hung around the window Vanessa could see out of. She knew that, though it seemed she was in Loralie's body, for she could see only what Loralie had seen, she was not in control of her. When Loralie looked out of the window, she could see black water forming choppy waves.

_Oh my god, she's not _jumping _is she_? Vanessa thought.

Her view was turned to a full-length mirror framed in mahogany on the wall. Loralie looked dressed for war, sporting camouflage cargo pants and a thick sweatshirt. She had her hair in a braid and no makeup on.

_Wow, she really means business. She's not wearing any eyeliner._

Loralie's jaw was set and her eyes held the fire of a killer. Loralie walked over to a plush purple chair and grabbed the waterproof hiking backpack Vanessa had given her years back and made sure all the compartments were tightly zipped. Loralie walked over to the window and looked out again. She climbed onto the ledge and turned her back to the waves, so she could see into the room. She scanned it once more, making sure not to overlook a single thing or leave anything of use behind.

With just one hand on the ledge, Loralie pulled something out of her pocket. It was a small stuffed animal. A calico cat with one yellow eye and one blue eye and was missing the tip of its right ear.

"Muddle, hero!" Vanessa heard Loralie scream over the harsh wind that was blowing. She threw the stuffed cat out over the water and it a split second it had transformed into a huge tiger. It was a living, breathing tiger. One that was missing the tip of its right ear. It splashed heavily into the dark water, and began treading. Its shiny eyes gazed up at Loralie. It wasn't going anywhere without her.  
Vanessa was terrified. For Loralie, surely, but also for herself. She knew that she couldn't be hurt by Loralie's memories, but it was easy to get overwhelmed by how real they felt. Another good reason Seth should not have tried this.

Loralie jumped. She rushed toward the murky waves at full speed, making sure o keep her body upright and not horizontal. The last thing she needed was to end up in a belly flop from this height. As the freezing water drenched her clothes and flooded her nose and mouth, the tiger swam up to Loralie and adjusted her onto it's back. Loralie spluttered and coughed, adjusted herself, and she swam with the tiger into the black night.

Scene change. Vanessa could see that Loralie was now in a gas station Quick Store. As Loralie headed to the back of the store, toward the sign that read, "Restrooms", a gruff voice from the left sounded.

"Hey, Missy, you got to buy something if you want the bathroom key."

Loralie turned toward the cashier. He was an old man, teeth yellow from years of cigarettes and alcohol, and had grey hair that was tangled and neglected. Not someone you wanted to be caught in an alley with.  
Or, ANYWHERE with, that is.

Loralie swung her backpack around so she could get to the outermost pocket. In that pocket were several smaller pockets and compartments. In one of them held exactly what Loralie needed: A ten-dollar bill. She slammed it down on the dirty counter.

"Hook me up with a pack 'a smokes," Loralie smirked, "And, the key while you're at it."

"Very funny, little girl." I'll have you know that I don't take kindly to sarcasm. Don't push your luck or you might not get that key after all," the surly man growled.

"Aw, no sarcasm?" Loralie took a lighter out of a bucket on the counter. "But sarcasm is truly the best form of self-defense." Loralie was using her very best "Young Lady" voice. She pocketed the lighter. "Key please."

The cashier glared at her hard. He popped open the register and took out a small golden key. He slid it across the counter where Loralie promptly snatched it.

_That's Lore. Never afraid to use her best sarcasm. Even in the worst situations._

Lore skipped to the bathroom, unlocked it, and stepped inside. The ladies room was not the cleanest, or the freshest bathroom she had ever seen, but it would do just fine. She turned and locked the door behind her. Making her way to the sinks, Loralie took off her sweatshirt and laid it on top of her bag. She turned on the faucet and let the lukewarm water splash onto her hands. She pulled out her ponytail and shook her head, her long brown waves cascading around her face.

Crouching to her backpack she unzipped the largest compartment and pulled out an MP3 player. Setting it on the counter near the sink, she clicked on the music. Played clearly over the sound of running water. Loralie began running her hair under the water. She pumped some of the hand soap out onto her palms and began washing her hair.

She started singing, loud and clear with the music. It had been so long since Vanessa had heard Loralie sing. She missed it dreadfully. It sounded beautiful:

"_I wrote a goodbye note in lipstick on your arm when you passed out.  
I couldn't bring myself to call, except to call it quits._

Best friends.  
Ex-friends 'till the end.  
Better off as lovers, and not the other way around.  
Racing through the city, windows down, in the back of yellow-checkered cars.

You're wrong.  
Are we all wrong?  
You're wrong.  
Are we all wrong?

This city says...

Come, hell or high water, when I'm feeling hot and wet.  
I can't commit to a thing, be it heart or hospital.

Best friends.  
Ex-friends 'till the end.  
Better off as lovers, and not the other way around  
Racing through the city, windows down, in the back of yellow-checkered cars.

You're wrong.  
Are we all wrong?  
You're wrong.  
Are we all wrong?

The tombstones were waiting.  
They were half-engraved.  
They knew it was over.  
Just didn't know the date.

I cast a spell over the west to make you think of me, the same way I think of you.  
This is a love song in my own way, happily ever after below the waist.

Best friends.  
Ex-friends 'till the end  
Better off as lovers.

Racing through the city, windows down, in the back of yellow-checkered cars

You're wrong.  
Are we all wrong?  
You're wrong.  
Are we all wrong?

Best friends.  
Ex-friends till the end.  
Better off as lovers, and not the other way around.  
Ex-friends till the end.  
Better off as lovers..."

Loralie shut the water off and shook her head. She stepped away from the sink and observed her reflection in the mirror. Loralie bent down to her bag and grabbed a black eyeliner pen out of the open pocket. She applied it nice and thick. Loralie brushed out her wet hair, packed up her things and unlocked the bathroom door. On her way out, she tossed the little key back to the old cashier. He stared at her in an odd way, between bewilderment and awe. She turned on her heel and pushed open the door into the foggy afternoon.

Back in reality the Sorenson's and company were watching the two young women in wonder. It had only been about seven minutes, but it felt like an eternity, especially to Warren. He wanted to believe that Loralie knew what she was doing, and that Vanessa was safe, but he couldn't be sure. Loralie could be heard breathing heavily, but neither of the two had moved since Loralie initiated the connection. Suddenly, Vanessa broke said connection when she curled her fingers over Loralie's hands. Both girls opened their eyes.

"I can't believe you did that!" Vanessa shouted as she squeezed Loralie tight. Both girls were laughing now.

"You got a two-for-one. It was hard, but I figured you would want to see both of them. I knew you would be exceptionally proud of my little gas station stunt," Loralie said, looking proud of herself.

"Now I _really _want to try!" Exclaimed Seth. This earned laughter from the entire group.

**The song Loralie sings in the gas station is "Bang the Doldrums" by Fall Out Boy. I Definitely DON'T own it. Please don't sue. I'm thinking of throwing a song in every now and then. Maybe I can expose you to music you don't know? Anyway. I hope you enjoy, reading this! **


	3. Proudly Presenting

"I had completely forgotten about Muddle!" Vanessa was still recovering from her trip down Loralie's Memory Lane. "Do you still have him?"

"Of course! He's in my back... Pack? Wait! Where's my bag? Oh god!" Loralie was freaking out.

"This bag?" Asked Tanu as he pulled a waterproof backpack from behind the chair he was sitting in. "I found it with you by the fence."

"Oh yeah, I was drawn here because I could sense a magical aura. Plus, the whole place shimmers with a distractor spell," said Lore as she took the bag from Tanu.

"Wow. Distractor spells don't work on you, _and_ you can transfer memories. You are a very impressive young girl," Tanu said.

"Thanks. _This_ is Muddle," Lore said as she pulled a calico cat in the form of a stuffed animal out of the biggest compartment. The cat had one blue eye and one yellow eye, and was missing the tip of its right ear.

"So Muddle is just a... Plush toy?" Warren asked.

"Oh, no! Of course not. It's just easier to carry him around this way. Muddle, up!"

Just then the plush calico became a real live calico cat that looked exactly like the plush one. Gasps were heard throughout the room.

It snuggled up to Loralie and rubbed the side of its face against her legs. Muddle glanced around the room and, at sighting Vanessa, trotted over to her and jumped onto her lap. He mewed softly when Vanessa stroked him. He sniffed Kendra, who was sitting next to Vanessa. The hard puffs of his breath on her arm, made Kendra uncomfortable. At any moment she expected him to start hissing at her but Muddle just purred and laid down on Vanessa's lap.

"C'mon Muddle, you wanna show everyone what you can do?" Loralie said, as she started toward the door. "Come watch!" she said spunkily. She was excited to show Muddle off to other people. She usually had to hide him, especially from the society. The Society was unaware that she had him.

"Wait, wait!" Shouted Grandpa Sorenson, "You're going back out there? It's freezing!"

"Yeah, but it won't bother us. You guys can watch from the windows or the porch if you're cold. We won't be long."

Lore ran outside into the snowy yard with Muddle in close pursuit. Seth, Kendra, Tanu, Warren, Dale, and Vanessa all stood outside on the long porch. Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson, along with Mr. and Mrs. Sorenson, opted to stay inside and watch from the big windows.

"C'mon, Muddle, front and center," Lore said to the cat who was distracted by the fairies who were busy beautifying the gardens. He balanced on his hind legs as he batted at the fairies that flew over his head. Every time a fairy was within reach of his paw, it skipped away at the last moment. Muddle started making little clucking noises that confirmed that he was trying to hunt. Trying and failing. Even if he was a magical being, he still had cat running through his veins. Muddle, having had enough of the finicky fairies, trotted over to sit in front of Lore.

"Muddle, big!" Shouted Lore. Muddle was now a glossy lynx. Bigger than his housecat form, he was now a bit more intimidating.

"This is starting to give me freaky flashbacks to the guardian in the Inverted Tower," Kendra whispered to Warren.

"Me too," he replied, "Hopefully it doesn't spit poison sludge."

"Muddle isn't a threat unless you try to harm Lore. He was crafted by a true wizard that is caretaker of a dragon sanctuary in southern Louisiana. Muddle is loyal to Loralie's every command, so unless you give her a reason to call him on you, he won't attack." Vanessa rolled her eyes at Warren. "And, he definitely doesn't spit poison sludge."

"Muddle, hero!" Lore had finished playing around with Muddle in his lynx form and gave the command for him to step it up into his tiger form.

Seth applauded. Dale whistled.

"That is so totally awesome!" Exclaimed Seth. "What else can he do?"

"Besides shrink back down to his normal size," Lore replied, "Nothing." She sneezed.

"Gatzuhntite," Warren said.


	4. Gaps and Cracks

**AN: I'm getting the feeling no one reads author notes... Anyway! It's going to get WAY more action-ish and adventure-y really, really soon! As you were...**

Lore had walked back inside with Muddle and the rest of the outside crew in tow. She stamped her feet and rubbed her hands together, trying to warm up again after running out into what was now a very cold night.

"Alright," started Grandpa Sorenson,"now that we've witnessed what you can do, and we know a little of your backstory, can you answer a question for me?"

"Uh, yeah, sure!" Loralie replied, feeling rather bubbly after using her abilities. It was always fun to share her memories with Vanessa. A bonus to get to show off Muddle, too. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with who 'Chrissy' is."

"Oh, okay. Chrissy was actually the one who convinced me to leave home. He was a strange man," Loralie smiled at that," and he always wore one of those old-timey coats with the tails."

"Errol!" Exlaimed Kendra and Seth in unison.

Loralie looked confused for a moment before remembering that her beloved friend Christopher Vogle used false names more often than not. "Yeah, that was one of his silly fake names."

"You were friends with _Christopher Vogle_?" Asked Tanu incredulously.

"Yup. I remember he used to always do magic tricks for me." Kendra noticed that Loralie looked like she was fading fast into an old memory.

"It was a summer afternoon, and I was really little. Four, I think," Loralie started. "I was kicking around a soccer ball in my front yard, when Chrissy walked down the road. I made an off shot and it rolled toward him, so he kicked it back. I asked him what the chain on his pocket was for and he told me, 'so a very special watch would have somewhere to hang.'"

Vanessa smiled. "That's exactly what he told me when I asked him."

"I'm not sure why, but I thought that this was the most philosophical thing I had ever heard. He asked me if I wanted to see a magic trick, so I told him 'yes'. He pulled a deck of cards out of his sleeve and fanned them out. 'Pick one,' he said. So, I did. It was the five of hearts. I put it back in the deck and he flipped the entire deck over. They were all the five of hearts."

"Hey, that's the same trick he showed me at school when he first showed up," Seth said, "I wasn't too impressed."

Lore giggled a little. "Well, I found it amazing. He told me that if I liked magic, he knew a place where I could be constantly surrounded by magic and could help protect the creatures of my dreams. Fairies, dragons, and such. I was just eating it up and told him that I wanted to do everything I could to protect those things. He told me if I did, I would never be able to see my family again. But..." She stopped and wiped her eyes. Hot tears were rolling down her cheeks. "But, I went anyway." Her hand covered her mouth as she wept. She kept her eyes focused on her feet.

"Oh, God, you all think I'm horrible, don't you?" Loralie felt awful. It had been a long time since she really thought about this. No one replied. It was dawning on her what a horrible thing she had done. "I can't believe I left like that, I mean, looking back on it. I left home without so much as saying goodbye to anyone but the dog. I think I was mad at them about something, but I can't remember anything about them, so I guess it doesn't matter now..."

"Why would it be that you could remember the afternoon when Christopher came to get you, but not anything before that?" Loralie wasn't sure who had asked the question, still not wanting to look up, but thought it was either Dale or Warren. Their voices were similar.

"I have reason to believe the Society brainwashed me. Or, something of the sort. The first person they took me to see was a sorcerer. I can't remember the details, but not long after that day I started loosing memories of the life I left behind until I couldn't even remember what my parents looked like."

"That must have been horrible," whispered Kendra remembering her feelings when her parents were kidnapped by the Society. At least she remembered their faces.

"It was unsettling at first, not being able to recall what my family looked like, or who they were. But eventually, any drive I had left to try and find them was gone. I just gave up. I started training in combat and was soon engulfed by Society responsibility.

"Wow, I guess it just took an audience to make me think about the decision I'd made," Lore yawned, the earlier bubbly feeling gone now.

"You must be exhausted," Mrs. Sorenson said, "Does using your gift take a lot of work?"

"For me, it does. I'm not very good at it in the sense that, images falter and clarity goes fuzzy sometimes. I think once I get better at it, it'll be easier," Lore confirmed.

"We would have you sleep in the attic, but it's full of old stuff. Ever since Kendra and Seth moved into their own rooms, we've been using it like a real attic. We can have it cleaned up by tomorrow, since I'm assuming you'll be staying for a while," Grandpa stated.

"Maybe she should sleep in a cell in the basement," Seth suggested.

"Oh, wow, way to get all wishy-washy on me! First you want me to show you my memories and my size shifting cat, and now I'm a criminal?" Loralie asked acting deeply hurt.

"I mean, that's not what I meant, its just... Never mind."

Lore shot him an awkward smile. "In all honesty, I could do that, if it would make things easier. I know it has to be weird for you guys, taking in some random girl who can do strange things. Sorry if I get in the way, but thank you for letting me stay here anyway."

"Oh no, you don't have to sleep in the dungeon. You can sleep here on the couch. Seth, if it will make you feel better, someone can stay down here with her," Grandpa suggested.

"I'll watch her," Vanessa confirmed.

So, it was set. Vanessa was to stay with Loralie while she slept downstairs. Everyone filed to their consecutive rooms, but Warren hung back. He motioned Vanessa in to the hall, away from Lore.

"You said you stopped "writing" to her because you had to stop controlling, I don't really know what that's about, but we both know you never stopped controlling. If you had, we might all be dead."

Lore couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had thought Van was dead when she didn't write for over a year. How could she have still been able to control, but not write to her. She always kept her umite wax crayons and candles with her. Surely, Van knew where they were in her bag. She never moved them!

Lore turned with her face against the couch, so that maybe they wouldn't see her tears. She felt betrayed.

"I used to write to her using umite wax. I would control her body and use the wax crayons she kept in her bag. She probably still has them," Vanessa pouted, "I can sense when all of the people I've bitten sleep, _except_her. I tried ten or twelve times, but I could never get through. I eventually gave up. I thought she was dead."

"Wow, so she thought you were dead, and you thought she was dead. It's fate!" Warren joked.

"Oh, yeah sure," Vanessa kissed him, "Fate."

Loralie's unsettled mix of anger and sadness fought inside of her until she eventually fell asleep. Vanessa was curled up with a book, in a chair. Every now and then she would glance over at Lore. She was happy to have her back where she could keep an eye on her.

**Okay, guys, thanks for reading! Please review, I accept all forms of criticism. I really want to know if you all are enjoying this, so help me out ya'll! It's going to get better, I promise. Thanks, guys! **


	5. Missing Mary

Loralie yawned and arched her back, stretching her arms at strange angles.

"She looks like a contortionist," Seth said as he moved his black piece diagonally. He was sitting on the living room floor playing checkers with Tanu at the coffee table.

"It does look painful," Tanu agreed. He skipped a red piece over one of Seth's black checkers. "King me."

Lore rolled over only to be partially blinded by the bright light filtering in from the big, picture windows in the living room. "Whe-" she yawned, "Where'd Vanessa go?"

"She went back to sleep upstairs. She had stayed up almost all night reading," Tanu replied, "I told her I would take over the watch shift," he smiled.

"Ah, 'kay." She gave him a sleepy thumbs-up and rolled back over, face smushed into her pillow. "What time is it?" She mumbled, her hot breath reflecting back into her face off of her warm pillow.

"About 9:30," Seth said checking his watch.

"Great," Loralie closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Vanessa left the bathroom and headed through the living room, her damp hair shedding tiny water droplets as she walked. She stopped at the sleeping figure of Loralie and looked at her thoughtfully. She smacked her face lightly, a few quick times. Tanu and Seth didn't even glance in their direction, too engulfed by their checkers game that was still pressing on. The odds were stacked in Seth's favor.

"Get up Fruit Loops!" Vanessa said cheerily then proceeded to walk into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Did I just hear you call her 'Fruit Loops'?" Asked Dale.

"What's that about?" Mr. Sorenson added, the both of them sitting at the kitchen table. Kendra and Warren sat with them. Grandpa was at the stovetop making pancakes, Grandma coffee. Marla was washing off her used dish at the sink.

"It's just a little nickname," Vanessa sniggered as she peeled open a granola bar.

Lore rubbed her eyes and slowly stumbled into the kitchen."What time is it?" She asked groggily.

"11:30," replied Kendra glancing at the wall clock. "We thought you might sleep forever."

"I almost did."

Seth sauntered into the kitchen, looking proud.

"'You win?" Asked Lore, recalling the checkers game that was taking place when she awoke.

"Yup," he beamed, "beat him with three of my pieces left." The entier kitchen aroused in a joking applause. Seth bowed low and took a seat at the table.

"He's good," said Tanu, shaking his head and sitting down. "Uh-oh, are those Stan's Impending Doom Pancakes?" Tanu was referring to the fact that usually Grandpa Sorenson only made pancakes before the Knights of Dawn went on a dangerous mission.

"I felt like cooking this morning," Grandpa Sorenson said defensively," plus, we have a  
guest."

"So, this guest," Loralie started in the third person, "should she be worried about these, uh... Pancakes? Because she is supremely confused."

"She should be incredibly worried," Warren played along as he cut into his short-stack and popped a piece into his mouth.

Grandma Sorenson chided him, "Warren, don't mess with her. What he means," she turned to Lore, handing her a plateful, "is that Stan usually makes pancakes before the Knights go on dangerous missions. Would you like some milk?"

"You guys are Knights?" Lore asked, her eyes wide. Grandma instantly regretted mentioning the Knights of Dawn. Lore took their awkward silence as a "yes". She shuffled her feet, "Lucky." Grandma placed a glass of milk on the table next to her plate."Oh, sorry to be a bother," Lore asked sheepishly as she took a seat across from Seth," But do you have any chocolate syrup?" Grandma walked to the fridge and pulled out a brown bottle. She stopped at the silverware drawer and pulled out a spoon. Handing them both to Loralie, she replied, "No problem."

"You wanted to be a Knight?" Seth asked, "I thought you ran away to work with the Society?" Loralie was pouring an unhealthy amount of chocolate syrup in her glass and stirred it up with her soup spoon. She started drinking it off of the spoon, never actually raising the glass to her lips. "Is that how you're gonna drink that?"

"It really is the only way," she defended with an impish grin," and I _did_, but that was before I knew that the Society was corrupted, and that I was on the wrong side of the war I wanted to fight in." The words escaped sharply from her mouth, "they're not protectors, like they told me. The most of them are murderers, thieves, deceivers, and criminals," she spat. "Although, I've come to realize, that though some of them are truly evil, many of the Society members are just sorrowfully mislead,"

Vanessa could feel silent glances at her. Without even looking up she knew that everyone at the table had looked at her. "Ever since I found out there was another side of the cause," Lore continued, trying to bring a little attention away from Vanessa, "I wanted to be part of it. My ultimate goal was to become a spy without the Sphinx finding out."

"What?" Warren shared a confused look with Grandpa.

"As a spy on my terms I would be obligated to the Society and have the Sphinx think I was loyal to him, he would enroll me as a Knight, and I would work honestly as a Knight, not a Society member. So, though technically I was a Society member, I would be working as a Knight. Make sense?"

Warren nodded, "but the Sphinx didn't allow you to join the Knights, did he?"

"Of course not," came Loralie's harsh response. "I was too great a _prize_ for the Sphinx to risk losing me to the Knights. No one had ever seen anything like me and I had so much "potential" as a warrior. They had me trained by the Grey Assassin, who thought I had a lot going for me. Not even the Sphinx had ever witnessed a gift like mine, and he's like, a thousand!"

Grandpa chuckled at that last comment, but lingered on the "Grey Assassin" part. "You were trained by the Grey Assassin? He's arguably one of the best fighters to ever live!"

"Can you still hear the rumors? 'The Grey Assassin'" Lore was gesturing with her hands, making as if there were huge signs all around her with Grey Assassin headlines on them,"'Master of combat', 'He can kill anything'."

"Well he couldn't have been _that_ great, because Bracken killed him while we were trying to protect Civia," Kendra muttered.

"Wow! You guys really did it? He's really dead? This is great! Now _I_ am the best warrior!" She raised her chin triumphantly."I'm kidding, of course," she added after looking at the worried glances of Scott and Marla Sorenson, "But, you were protecting Civia? The Eternal?" Loralie looked confusedly at Kendra.

"Yes, the Society went after the Eternals after a demon who used to live here on the preserve took gained power over the Society and collected all five artifacts," Kendra's eyes darkened at the unwelcome memories, "they opened Zzyzx. You didn't know anything about it? It was over a year and a half ago!"

"No, I had no idea. I was going to try and figure out who the new Captain of the Knights was after the Sphinx bailed, but things were getting pretty bad in the Society, probably because they were so close to the opening, so I figured it was about time for me to cut and run. I decided that If I couldn't fight on the side of my choice, I wasn't fighting at all. I never thought they could pull it off." Loralie proceeded to eat her pancakes, her tale apparently over.

"They didn't do a very good job, though because the two talented children you sit across from helped lure the demons into a new prison," Vanessa looked bright eyed at Kendra and Seth.

Loralie kept opening and closing her mouth like a fish, looking for something to say, but couldn't.

"I can't believe you lived on the streets for over two years," Tanu said, disheartened at the fact that someone so young had to go through so much.

"Yeah, begging, street-preforming, mostly. You loose all touch with your pride when survival is on the line."

"Grandpa's the Captain of the Knights now," Seth mentioned nonchalantly, shoveling a piece of pancake in his mouth.

"Seth!" Kendra rapped him upside the head and almost made him cough it up. "How do we know we can trust her yet?"

"What? She said she was looking for the Captain of the Knights! Mom, Dad! Aren't you going to do something?" He complained.

"Kendra, not so hard next time," his mother laughed. "Sorry, Sweetie, but you know some things are confidential."

Loralie felt awkward, but understood how it would be hard to trust a strange girl they found on their doorstep. Tanu noticed her change in expression and said, "I don't think it's best to be discussing her integrity while she's standing right there."

"No, it's fine," Lore said, not focusing on anyone's face, "If I found me outside my front gates, I wouldn't trust me just yet either. Yeah... I think that made sense," she nodded.

"Why don't you ask _Bracken_ to do his fancy magic," Vanessa spat. She was bitter towards Bracken due to a feud between unicorns and blixes that had lasted for centuries. "I'm sure he'd be able to tell you just how much we can trust her."

"I still have the telepathy coin he gave me. Could I ask him if he can stop by?" Seth asked.

"I guess that sounds like a good plan, if he doesn't mind," Grandpa said at last. Kendra beamed. She was going to see Bracken again! He was always so busy helping rebuild the Fairy Kingdom that he visited less and less. But, she knew he wouldn't refuse a direct request from the Sorensons. Especially if it sounded urgent.

"Well then, speaking of good plans, can I go take a shower? I want to be especially clean if I'm going to be interrogated," Lore said dryly.

"You've got nothing to worry about, and yes, there is a bathroom upstairs that you're welcome to use," Grandma pointed to the direction of the staircase.

Loralie brought her plate and cup to the sink and set them in. She walked through the living room, shouldered her backpack, and trotted up the stairs. She was relived to be able to use a real shower with warm water and good pressure, instead of a truck stop sink. Leaning her bag against the bathroom wall, she undressed and slid underneath the hot stream of water. It felt divine.

Seth, having finished his breakfast too, left his empty dishes in the sink and mounted the stairs. He bolted to his room and fished a coin out of his nightstand drawer. He curled his hand around the communication coin, silently filling Bracken in on what he knew. As he passed the bathroom door on his way back down the stairs, he stopped when he heard singing:

"_She's the smoke, she's dancin' fancy pirouettes._  
_Swan diving off of the deep end of my tragic cigarette._  
_She's steam, laughing on the windowpanes._  
_The never-ending swaying haze._  
_Oh, that ever smiling maze._  
_Oh, that ever smiling maze._  
_A ballet-_"

"What are you doing?" Kendra hissed, breaking Seth from his trance. He hadn't even heard her come upstairs. "You're being creepy!"

"No, listen!" Seth leaned on the wall by the door where Kendra joined him.

"_Everything's gone missing, I've lost more songs to floods._  
_I can't prove this makes any sense but I sure hope that it does._  
_Perhaps, I was born with curiosity._  
_The likes of those of old crows._  
_The likes of those of old crows._

_And oh, how the piano knows._  
_The piano knows something I don't know..._"

"Wow, she's good. Vanessa never told us Loralie could sing," whispered Kendra.

"Vanessa didn't tell us much about her at all," Seth added, rolling his eyes.

The doorbell rang and Dale went to answer it. Both of the kids pounded down the stairs to see who it was, though they already knew. In the entry hall was Bracken wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans.

"Hi, Kendra," Bracken hugged her when he saw her. "Hey, Seth," he hi-fived him.

"Hey, Braken," they both said in unison, Kendra a bit more excitedly than Seth.

"So where is this girl I'm supposed to be meeting?" Bracken asked as he clasped his hands together.

"She's upstairs, taking a shower. I cought Seth being creepy, at the bathroom door, listening to her sing," Kendra grinned and stuck her tongue out at Seth.

"You listened too!" Seth yelled defensively.

"What, was I that loud?" Lore asked, looking embarrassed. She had a pair of ratty old camouflage pants on with a black sweatshirt and the grey hiking boots she had been wearing when she first arrived. Her black eyeliner was painted on thick and her long brown hair had been dried She was surprisingly attractive when she was clean.

"No, you sounded great! That's why I was listening," Seth, to Kendra's suprise, blushed, "I always sound like the bad guy, don't I?"

"It's okay, you get used to it," Lore seemed distant. "Is this the guy that's supposed to read me, or whatever?" Lore pressed, impatient.

"Oh, my goodness..." Bracken trailed, looking at Loralie, not bothering to mask his wonderment. "You- your aura is incredible! I've never seen anyone like you."

"Great," Lore huffed, "you and the rest of the planet."

"No I mean, the color of your aura keeps changing. Kendra has a white light kind of aura. Your's is changing from light to dark continually, as if fighting a battle against itself," Bracken said in awe.

"So, are you going to fix me? I'm lost."

"Let me see your hands."

Lore held them out for Bracken to take. When her hands met his, she was blinded by streaks of brilliant white light. She stumbled backward, shielding her eyes.

"Oh my god, where's the dimmer on you? Turn it off, turn it off!" She cried. Seth and Kendra both helped her off the floor as Vanessa, Warren, and Tanu came charging in.

"What did you do to her?" Vanessa looked accusingly at Bracken.

"No, no! It's fine, I just," she shook her head vigorously, "wasn't prepared for that. Your aura is blinding like I've never seen! You're a unicorn I just know it!" Lore was now back to her feet and bouncing on her toes.

"Good observation," Bracken held out his hands, "now let's try this again. Can I see your hands?" Lore put her hands in his for the second time. "Now, tell me something true."

"I ran away from home to join the society."

"Tell me a lie."

"I'm terrible at climbing trees." She fluttered her eyelids and snuffled. "Sorry, I thought I had to sneeze."

"Tell me your name," Bracken continued.

"Loralie Zeyna."

Bracken separated his hands from hers. "She is loyal to our cause, wouldn't dream of hurting anyone here, and has a deep hatred for the Society for stealing the memories of her family, and apparently the memories of her real name."

"Oh, yeah, when they wiped the memories of my family they also lost my real name. No one knew what it was so they let me choose my own." That didn't seem like a very good plan Kendra. If she had been allowed to name herself when she was four who knows what she would have chosen! At least Loralie gave herself a pretty one.

Bracken looked Lore in the eyes. "I think I understand why your aura looks so strange. You were raised by creatures of the dark and evil people, trained from a young age to be a killer. You know now that the cause you voluntarily joined was not right. So, your dark past haunts your good intentions because you did things that you're not proud of, making you fight against yourself internally. You have an uncommon gift, too, if I'm not mistaken?"

Loralie was impressed. "So you can see all that, eh? Do you know what it is, then, my gift? Or what it's called? Everyone I've ever met has no clue what I am!"

"I've only ever met one other person like you," Bracken smiled at the memory, "he was a mage of sorts who lived in Norway. He could transfer memories, see auras, and avoid spells and potions. He was immune to all tricks of the mind and could see magical creatures for what they were, without the help of any milk or butter. He assumed he was the last of his kind, so he was unsure of what his kind was called. That was hundreds of years ago, though."

"So, you have no idea either?" Lore looked defeated. "Perfect."

"I'm sorry I don't think I know. I'm intrigued, though, at how it works. Your gift, I mean. Vlador never showed me how his worked." Bracken said.

"Okay, as long as my brain doesn't implode from sharing memories with a unicorn," Lore joked. "Maybe that Vlador guy had good reason for not showing you." She sat down cross-legged on the floor, the same way she had with Vanessa, and instructed Bracken to do the same. She told him that if he wanted to break the connection, to curl his fingers around hers. "What do you want to see?"

"I want you to show me the day you discovered your gift."

"Oh... Are you sure? It's nothing special," Lore seemed reluctant to show him what had happened.

"I'm positive."

So Loralie laced her fingers through his and made the connection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bracken was now in a cozy living room, with a big couch and a well-worn coffee table at which Loalie was coloring in a dinosaur coloring book using thick crayons. A young woman came and sat down across from Loralie at the table. She had short, golden-brown hair and dark brown eyes. If he didn't know any better, Bracken would've thought the two were related. "How do you like it, Mary?" Lore asked, her voice sounding much more juvenile.

"It's beautiful," Mary gushed, referring to the rainbow brachiosaurus Loralie was coloring.

"It's for you!" Lore said. Bracken could just imagine her as a little girl, beaming. Mary had reached over the table and taken Loralie's hands.

"You are so sweet!" They sat there for a moment, palms against each others, until Loralie curled her fingers lovingly around Mary's. The memory went black for a moment, until it came back a bit hazier than before. Lore stood up and fell back down instantly. When she regained composure, she stood up again. When looking over the coffee table she found the slumped body of Mary, lying on the floor. She knelt down and shook Mary hard.

"Get up, Mary! Please!" Loralie cried, still shaking the body. The realization of what had happened hit Loralie like a wave. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Mary was not breathing.

Bracken curled his fingers around Loralie's hands and broke the connection. "So, that was the first time you made a connection, and unknowingly showed her all of your memories. The influx of everything you ever remembered rushing through her brain was enough to overtake her mind and kill her," Bracken said thoughtfully.

"Good observation." Loralie mocked solemnly. She glanced around the room and noticed the group from the kitchen had ventured into the living room. They were looking at her with sympathetic smiles and questioning eyes. She turned away, careful to wipe away any stray tears. Kendra found herself a bit jealous watching Loralie and Bracken holding hands on the floor, but she scolded herself for such feelings and shook her head, as if to shake the jealousy out.

"I'll look in to this, I promise," Bracken said cheerily. He started for the door.

"Can we walk with you back to the shrine?" Kendra asked as she gestured to Seth and Lore.

"Sure, if your parents are okay with that," Bracken smiled at Kendra.

"That sounds fine, but bring jackets!" Her father called out to them as they ran outside.

"Muddle, up, here." Lore called before she closed the door. The calico cat sprang down the stairs and skipped out the door after the kids.

"Or don't and just be cold." Their mother added quietly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"So this cat of yours," Bracken started, "It was given to you as a gift from a wizard who is caretaker of a dragon sanctuary, all because he liked you? " He looked at Lore questioningly.

She smiled and nodded. "His name was Elad and he was like a grandfather to me. He always called me his 'Something Special'. He was the first person I told about my doubts in the Society, and about my plan for leaving. He knew I would need protection when I was out on my own, so he made Muddle out of his house cat that he enchanted." Lore watched as Muddle laced through Bracken's legs as he walked, staying carefully out from underfoot.

"He was not one of the wizards who fashioned Zzyxx, then? Because I have never met him," Bracken stated. Loralie looked thoughtfully at her surroundings. The group was walking down a path that had been freshly cut trough the woods to the Shrine. She shook her head.

"Nope," she smiled and gazed around admiringly. The gardens behind them were very well tended. Brimmed with exotic looking flowers, clearly cared for by fairies. All of the fairies she saw, though, would stop what they were doing and stare in awe, even envy, at the couple of Bracken and Kendra. The two were holding hands, swinging them back and forth as they walked. They were on a freshly cut path to the naiad pond. This was a new edition since the destruction caused by Graulas. "So let me see if I have this right," Loralie broke the silence and glanced at each of her companions turn,"you're Seth, you're Kendra," she gestured to each of them respectively, "and you are Bracken?"

"Good job," Seth joked, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say that you're..." He pretended to think hard about his answer, "Loralie?"

Lore laughed a little, "Correct! Do we have a prize for this bright young man?" Everyone laughed. "Can I see your hands?" Lore was holding each of her hands out to Seth and Kendra in turn. "I am not going to show you anything or do any crazy voodoo magic," she smiled, "I just want to be able to see your auras.

"Oh, like you can see Bracken's?" Seth said as he placed his hand on Loralie's. The contact allowed Loralie to see a pulsing, deep blue light around Seth.

"A shadow charmer, cool!" She looked to Kendra who had yet to take her hand. With a sigh she let her hand rest in Loralie's. Kendra immediately started shining almost as bright as Bracken. "Wow, a white light sort of aura was definitely a good description!" Lore squinted a little but soon adjusted her eyes to the light. "Are you fairy struck?"

"You've almost got it," Kendra smiled.

"No way! Fairy_kind_. You're fairykind?" Lore gushed, mouth agape.

"Now you're onto something," Kendra chuckled at Loralie. She looked like a kid in a candy store, eyes wide, bouncing on her toes.

"That is _so cool_, I've never met anyone who was fairykind! How did it happen?"

"Oh, it's a long story that I'll tell you later," Kendra waved a dismissive hand.

"Fine... So how old are you two? I have a feeling, though, that I don't want to know how old Bracken is," Lore grinned.

"Ha. Ha. You're very funny." Bracken mocked sarcastically.

"I'm fourteen and Kendra is seventeen," Seth told Lore, "I turned fourteen in April."

"And my birthday was in October," Kendra resolved.

Oh, cool! My birthday was just a week ago, November 15 to be exact!" Loralie beamed. "So I guess that makes me the youngest," she shrugged.

The group walked in silence for a while. Loralie looked to her left and way out in the distance she could see a tall wooden post with what looked like old shackles hanging off of it, like some sort of sacrificial stake. It seemed to be on a hill. One that had a cave in the side. A scene flashed before her eyes, sepia, like an old photograph. There was a man hanging on that pole, bruised and bloodied. Using all of his strength he raised his head. His sad eyes locked with Loralie's. Slowly he began to mutter a string of words: _Do not dispair, for we are all around you. _It took a moment for Lore to realize that the man was truly speaking to her.

Back in reality Lore had gasped and staggered back, her eyes darting and frantic. Seth was the first to notice and called her name a few times. When they realized all was not well, the three ran back to where Loralie had stopped and shook her. She remained unmoving until Bracken placed his palm against her forehead, breaking her from her trance.

"What happened?" Seth asked, supporting Lore as she stumbled.

"Oh, I think I just had a terrible flashback. What is that cave over there?" She pointed to the place she had been looking when the flashback started.

"The demon Graulas lived there. The same demon who took control of the society," Seth said bitterly, "He trained me to be a better shadow charmer, but betrayed me. So I slayed him during the battle at Zzyzx."

A demon lair. That sounded important. Loralie assumed no one would take he there, so she made silent plans to sneak out to go visit. But not tonight.

Without realizing the group had made it to the naiad pond. It was breath taking to Loralie, who had never laid eyes upon it. The whitewashed boardwalks and scattered gazeboes were all new and glorious to Loralie. As Bracken and Kendra, still holding hands walked toward one of the gazeboes, Seth grabbed Loralie's arm.

"Hey, Lore, I bet you cant climb that tree over there," he pointed back in the direction they had come. "Later, Bracken," he was turning away.

"I bet you I can climb it with one hand!" Lore shouted not entirely sure what tree Seth was referring too, "It was nice meeting you, Bracken," she called as she raced to catch up with Seth, who had run back down the path they had just come from.

Finally alone with Kendra, Bracken turned to face her. Their eyes met, and they slowly leaned in to kiss each other. This is exactly why seth had run, taking Loralie with him, so as not to make things awkward. Their tender, passionate kiss lasted what felt like a lifetime to Kendra. And she enjoyed every second of it. "I missed you," Bracken whispered as he slowly broke the embrace.

"I missed you too, more than I thought," Kendra admitted. They sat their under the whitewashed gazebo, Bracken's arm wrapped around Kendra, enjoying each other's company.

**AN: Hey guys! So, this is officially the longest. Chapter. Ever. This went through so many huge revisions until I was finally happy with the results, as I hope you are too. The song Loralie sings in the shower is: "The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know" by Panic! at the Disco. Give it a listen, won't you? I would also love to know if you like getting shorter, more frequently updated chapters, or longer ones that give you more time in between? Anywho, be sure to review! Thank'ya!**


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